10 Fictional Weapons from Movies Becoming a Reality Now

While the most advanced weapons that are being used by the military or are conceptual may look like something from Battlestar Galactica or Avatar, some are in fact real now. Many of the following weapons have actually found their way into the battlefield and if the remainder of the science fiction arsenal follows, wars could soon become unrecognizable. The following is a list of fictional weapons from movies that are becoming a reality now.

Cyborgs

Cyborgs, like those from the Terminator series, have been common in the Science Fiction genre for many years. This begs the question, is it possible to create a bionic man using modern technology? Today’s scientists and engineers have already created hearing aids, bionic eyes and walking and talking robots. Recently, Vanderbilt University developed a bionic exoskeleton for those with paralyzing spinal cord damage. This research is a medical breakthrough and creates the possibility of developing a breathing, walking, weaponized bionic man.

EMP Blasts

You may remember the electromagnet pulse (EMP) from The Matrix to limit the machines from entering Zion and bring down the hovercraft. The concept of a weapon that has the power to disable all other electronic devices is a terrifying thought that we only hoped existing in Science Fiction movies. However, the EMP exists in real life and the weapon is even more terrifying than imagined.

A moderate EMP blast destroys all nearby electronics. A major blast that would occur above the United States would distribute pulses across the North American continent. Recently, the media reported that North Korea was experimenting with Russian technology that creates EMP weapons which could disable electronic military equipment.

Fusion Reactor

The thought of harnessing an energy source in a small, contained space is not impossible with the knowledge science has today. While the fusion reactor that existed in Spider Man’s world may not be real, the concepts behind it are based on existing science. Interestingly enough, science is not far from understanding nuclear fusion using a deuterium-tritium reaction which is the most conceivable nuclear reaction that can be attempted. There is an abundance of deuterium and tritium on earth. The fusion process consists of bringing together two atomic nuclei so close together that they fuse but requires 180 million degrees Fahrenheit.

Freeze Rays

Super villians in the movies and comics seem to really love freeze rays because it allows them to trap enemies in a solid block of ice and have a monologue without interruption for hours while their foe dies of hypothermia or boredom, whichever comes first. Although this may sound like an impractical thought, so does training polar bears to watch guard over your lair. Scientists have found that by using lasers on high-pressure gas, temperatures can be lowered by 119-degree Fahrenheit in only 19 seconds.

The trick to this amazing science is that photons knock electrons out of orbit. The atom then loses electrons which loses energy and heat. In Laments Terms, the lasers are blasting the warmth away down at the atomic level and the reaction occurs so quickly that gas can be frozen and distributed prior to it becoming a liquid.

Laser Injections

Although the laser injection is not yet considered a weapon, it is an interesting medical device which can be used for wrongdoing. The brilliant scientists at MIT have been developing laser injections and don’t plan for it to be weaponized. A laser injection is a device that conveniently and painlessly installs a laser beam into your body which can be fired out of the palm of your hand at nearby enemies.

Lightsabers

Anyone who has ever seen Star Wars has wanted to get their hands on a lightsaber at some point in their lives. In September 2013, Harvard and MIT scientists developed a method of manipulating photons, particles that do not interact with one another, within the photonic molecule. To do so, scientists pushed rubidium atoms through a vacuum chamber allowing the laser to cool close to absolute zero then shot the photons into the resulting atom cloud using laser pulses. Although science is not ready to weaponize this technology yet, it proves that such innovation is theoretically possible to achieve.

Raygun

A raygun is a handheld weapon that has the capability to shoot deadly particle beams. The first attempt at creating such a weapon was by Nikola Tesla. The concept was to develop a vacuum seal and push a stream of air through the gun at high velocities thus creating a “high vacuum.” Recently, one man was able to utilize an old television screen, which contains vacuum tubes, to create a concentrated “death ray” with the ability to reach 2,000-degrees Fahrenheit thus burning through almost any material, including metal. If it is that easy to produce a particle beam then eventually a ray gun should exist in the form of a handgun.

Shockwave Generators

Any self-respecting villain eschews the regular firearms for him and his minions. Therefore, a true sporting field weapon must be able to injure anyone within a five-year radius. For this reason, villains prefer death rays, vuvuzelas that shoot bees and exploding boomerangs. Also, a comically huge gun shooting invisible shockwaves that can knock down an entire crowd is another option. The real life technology is known as a thunder generator and it is used by Israeli forces to send out a series of knock-you-down shockwaves at between 60 and 100 per minute at a range of 50-100 meters.

Sonic Black Holes

Even in the most silent locations on Earth, our world is constantly brimming with ambient murmurs and burbles. Imagine the amount of chaos that would occur if a mad genius too all of the sounds of a major city hostage. Nightclubs would shutter, stand-up comics would mime and Harley riders would cry tears. Although this is a dystopian thought, Israeli scientists seem to have found a method of creating the sonic black hole. Although humans have already made matter-grabbing black holes, they are difficult to manage so better understating is within a safe environment. To do so, scientists chill 100,000 rubidium atoms and use lasers to create a whirlpool effect which creates a sonic black hole where no sound can escape.

Tractor Beams

In most instances, Star Wars and Star Trek do not overlap technologies. For example, one show has hyper speed the other has warp speed. The Empire has developed proton torpedoes while the Federation has photon torpedoes. Of course this is intentional because they are in completely different and dissimilar universes. The only cross-over is with regards to tractor beams which can grab an object and pull it similar to a lasso. Although every Science Fiction adventure has one, only the villages utilize them efficiently. NASA is actually developing three types of laser tractor beams at the moment. Scientists have known for quite some time that light emits a pressure that can push small particles around.